Plumbing fixture reservoir



Dec. 29, 1959 J. D. LANGDON PLUMBING FIXTURE RESERVOIR Original Filed March 29. 1954 mv-E N-'roR United States Patent() PLUMBING FIXTURE RESERVOIR Jesse D. Langdon, Long Beach, Calif.

Original application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,213. gigilg and this application July 24, 1957, Serial No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 4-26) The present invention is a division of Ser. No. 419,213, tiled Mar. 29, 1954, now abandoned, and relates particularly to water-closets combined with a tank forming reservoir means to store and use a water supply under pneumatic pressure for the purpose of evacuating waste materials and fecal matter from the bowl of a water-closet.

A primary purpose of the invention is to provide an apparatus utilizing a minimum amount of water to ush the bowl of a water-closet by providing a reservoir capable of storing a replenished supply of atmospheric air above the water level rising in the reservoir after every ilushing cycle, said reservoir communicating with a passage between the inlet and outlet of a flushometer.

Other and further objects and purposes will appear during the progress of the specification as illustrated by the drawing which is purely diagrammatic and illustrates one form of reduction to practice, which may be changed within the scope of the claims.

The figure of the drawing illustrates a species of the invention wherein the conventional elements of a tiushometer are combined with a tank, showing a fragment of a median longitudinal section of the tank including a flushometer and the auxiliary elements of the combination constituting the invention.

The elements depicted by the drawing are designated as follows:

1, reservoir provided with pneumatic or air space A.

2, inlet from source of liquid pressure supply.

2a-2a, annular passage means for communicating between inlet 2, outlet O and reservoir 1.

3, pressure chamber enclosed by casing 4 of a pressure operated valve.

4, casing a pressure operated valve, stantially larger than inlet 2.

5, diaphragm valve member resting against seat 9, outlet tube 14 inserted into upper portion of casing 4 and forming a partition between pressure chamber 3 and annular passage 2a--2a, inlet 2 and reservoir 1.

6, bypass passage communicating between the reservoir, annular passage means 2er-2a and pressure chamber 3.

7, exhaust valve for a pressure chamber` 3.

8, exhaust port for pressure chamber 3 normally closed by valve 7 and communicating with outlet passage O.

9, valve seat portion for outlet O and being closed by valve 7.

10, resilient member holding handle 12 and plunger 13 in normal position of rest.

11, stem forming valve actuating means to tilt valve 7 to exhaust pressure fluid thru port 8.

12, handle provided with a fulcrumed flange normally resting against the anged end of plunger 8.

13, plunger adapted to impinge stem 11 provided to tilt valve 7 and open exhaust port 8.

14, inwardly extended tubular partition of outlet forming the inner wall for the annular intercommunicating passage Ztl-2a.

The above recited elements being combined by the in vention to form:

vO outlet sub- "ice A plumbing fixture reservoir 1 for fluid consisting of liquid and pneumatic elements, combining a pressure operated valve therewith; comprising a casing 4 having a liquid inlet 2 and an outlet O, an annular passage Ztl-2a intervening and communicating between the inlet 2, outlet'O and reservoir 1, said outlet O being of substantially greater capacity than said inlet 2, and having a tubular portion 14 surrounded by said annular passage 2a-2a and projecting toward said reservoir, a pressure chamber 3 located above said annular passage 2a-2a, said reservoir 1 being secured to the wall of said casing, port means as at 2a--2a thru the outer casing wall and communicating between said reservoir 1 and. said annular passage Zet-2a, a bypass communicating between said reservoir 1 and said pressure chamber 3, a valve member 5 pressure sealing one side of said pressure chamber 3, the inner end 14 of said outlet forming a valve seat 9 when the said reservoir 1 is filled with fluid, an exhaust port 8 communicating between said pressure chamber 3 and said outlet O, valve means 7 closing said exhaust port 8 when the reservoir 1 is filled with liquid and including valve actuating means 11 for the exhaust valve 7, whereby when the device is operated by manipulation of handle 12 actuating plunger 13 against the valve actuating means formed by stem 11 tilts the valve means 7, thereby opening said exhaust port 8, pressure fluid existing in the tank forming reservoir 1 and inlet 2, effective against the lower side of the diaphragm valve 5 to evacuate pressure chamber 3 and, at the same time pressure underneath valve member 5 urges and lifts the same from its seat permitting any liquid content of reservoir 1 to be evacuated via the annular passage means and outlet O with a gush actuated by a pneumatic fluid element in the shape of atmosphere previously compressed in air space A at a pressure equal to that of liquid entering thru inlet 2.

When the liquid in reservoir 1 is evacuated, the outlet O being of greater capacity than inlet 2, permits liquid to be discharged faster than supplied thru inlet 2. Due to the velocity head accentuated by pneumatic element compressed in chamber A plusweight of 'the liquid column passing thru outlet O, a negative pressure is created within the reservoir 1 causing atmospheric pressure to enter the reservoir 1 via outlet O and annular passages 2a-2a until the pressure within the reservoir 1 and pressure chamber is equalized by entrance of atmosphere, whereupon the diaphragm valve member 5 is permitted to move to closed position by pressure uid entering the pressure chamber 3 via a bypass passage 6 provided communicating with pressure chamber 3 thru valve member 5.

It is obvious that the pressure chamber 3 contains iiuid pressure equal to that of reservoir 1 and inlet 2 when the valve 5 is closed and reservoir 1 is fille-d.

The reservoir 1 and pressure chamber 3 aresubjeet t0 negative pressure at the moment of complete evaeation of liquid at which time atmospheric pressure/again starts to build up pressure first equalized by atmosphere entering tank, and pressure chamber 3 permittitg valve 5 to assume closed position whereupon the `rise of liquid owing into reservoir 1 causes atmosphere Within reservoir 1 to be compressed in air space A at a pressure equal to that existing in inlet 2 at which time the device is prepared for a flushing cycle as described supra.

Having described new combination of elements comprising the invention as well as the functions and new results attained, the following claims are made.

I claim:

1. A plumbing lixture reservoir for iiuid consisting of liquid and pneumatic elements, combining a pressure operated valve therewith; comprising a casing having a liquid inlet and an outlet, an annular passage intervening and communicating between the inlet, outlet and reservoir, said outlet being of substantially greater capacity than said inlet, and having al tubular portion surrounded by said annular passageand projecting toward'said-reservoir, a pressure chamber located above said annular passage, said reservoir secured to the wall of said casing, port meansthru the outer casing'wall and communicating between said reservoir :and-said annular passage, a bypass communicating ybetween said reservoir and said pressure chamber; a valve Y member pressure-sealing `one side of said pressure chamber, the inner entiV of said outlet forming a valve seat, said valvememberV seating on said 4valve seatwhenthe said'reservoir is lled with Fluid, an

exhaust port communicating between said pressure chamber and said outlet, valve means closing-said exhaust port when the reservoir is filled with liquid and including valve actuating meansV for'the exhaust valve.

2. A device as of claim 1,--wherein a ushometer provided with a casing inserted into the lower lportion of the reservoir provides theinlet and outlet openings and contains thepressure chamber, a restricted bypass being provided communicating between said'pressure chamber and the annularpassage, said pressure chamber being lo- -cated above said inlet and said outlet, `passage means disposed thru the wall of said casing intermediate of said pressure'chamber and said inlet and communicating between said reservoir together with intervening passage means provided communicating between said inlet and said outlet.

3. A device as defined by claim 1, wherein that portion of the casing that is located above the inlet is inserted into the reservoir, the body of the valve casing below the pressure chamber being caged around the valve seat, the annular passage surrounds a tubular portion of the outlet passage extended upwardly to form said valve seat and the inner wall of said annular passage and the bypass opening thru the valve member faces said annular passage.

References Cited in the file of vthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS v870,597 Tschopik et al. Nov..12, 1907 1,598,743 VPaul .Sept. 7, 1926 Langdon Aug. 27, 1940 

